Mixer Firsts and Whole Wheat Bread

As I mentioned in a previous post I received THE mixer for Christmas - a beautiful blue Kitchenaid Mixer - which also happens to be refurbished which makes it even more cool!  I had yet to use the mixer so last night I decided to make some whole wheat bread!  (Of course I found this bread recipe on 'Pinterest' a.k.a. my other addiction.)  Here are some pictures and then the full recipe to follow!  

Mixing the warm water, yeast and honey

Whole wheat flour!

Mixing the water/yeast/honey combination with half of the flour

Switched to the dough hook and mixed in the remaining flour

Yay dough rolls!

Placed the dough rolls in two greased loaf pans

Cover and let rise ... with a lemon towel!

Ta-da!

Recipe

3.5 cups warm water

1.5 tsp yeast

1/4 cup honey

7 cups whole wheat flour

2 tsp salt

2 heaping table spoons olive oil

(Yields two loaves)

- Mix the warm water, yeast and honey in the mixing bowel and allow the yeast to proof.

- Add half of the whole wheat flour - 3.5 cups, the salt and the olive oil and mix together still using the 'mixing' attachment - once complete let the it sit for 1 minute.

- Switch to the dough hook and add the second half of the flour - 3.5 cups and mix on high for 6 - 7 minutes then let the dough sit for about 15 minutes.

- Dump the dough onto a floured surface and cut in half - it will be very sticky!

- Shape the dough into loaves and place them in two greased loaf pans.  Allow the dough to rise until it's sticking over the top of the pan.

- Bake for 35 minutes on 350 degrees - although if you are baking both loaves at once they may take about 50 minutes to an hour.

Enjoy!

I plan on experimenting with more bread recipes this weekend!

(Also - the main reason I decided to make the bread last night is because I have new neighbors in the two apartments next and across the hall from me.  Being from Virginia and raised in the practice that you always go introduce yourself to your new neighbors and often times bring them something I decided this needed to be done.  Hours of bread baking later I knocked on the doors with warm homemade bread expecting to introduce myself.  But no one would come to the doors - either of them - and to make matters worse it was VERY clear that they were in their apartments.  Now they could have been otherwise engaged but my act of southern hospitality failed and now I have a ton of bread - thankfully my co-workers will get to enjoy it!)